Chinese astronauts return after six-month mission on Tiangong

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Three Chinese astronauts safely returned to Earth on Wednesday after completing a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station, as Beijing continues its push toward becoming a leading space power.

Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze of the Shenzhou-19 crew touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to state broadcaster CCTV and the Xinhua News Agency. Their landing, initially scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed by a day due to adverse weather conditions.

Footage showed the return capsule descending under a red-and-white striped parachute before landing in the Gobi Desert, kicking up a cloud of dust as recovery teams rushed in.

The crew launched last October and spent 180 days aboard Tiangong, China’s independently built orbital space station. During their time in orbit, they conducted a range of scientific experiments, performed technical maintenance, and achieved a new national record for the longest spacewalk by Chinese astronauts.

Their return marks the official completion of the Shenzhou-19 mission and comes shortly after the successful launch of the Shenzhou-20 crew last Thursday.

The new team, comprising Commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre and will also spend six months aboard the station.

Cai, 48, a veteran of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, led the crew. Song, 34, and Wang, 35, are both former air force pilots. Wang, notably, was China’s only active female spaceflight engineer at the time of launch.

The mission highlights the continued expansion of China’s ambitious space programme, which has received billions in government investment. Beijing aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and is laying the groundwork for a long-term presence on the lunar surface.

With the Tiangong station now fully operational, China is steadily positioning itself as a major spacefaring nation, independently of the US-led International Space Station, which is nearing the end of its operational life.